Anxious about bowel cancer symptoms

Hi everyone,

Apologies for the essay.

I'm 36 and back in early 2020 I began noticing blood after a bowel movement. I saw a nurse who examined me and saw small piles, he said to go back if the bleeding carried on. Well the bleeding was sporadic, and would happen on and off. Due to Covid I never went back. 
 

Well over 2 years later and the bleeding still happens. It seems to flare up and then not happen for a while. My bowel movements are sporadic, sometimes soft- sometimes harder to pass. 
 

I am under the care of an endocrinologist due to high prolactin and mentioned the symptoms to him, he suspected Colitis and sent me for an MRI of the small bowel in January. He also did a blood test and my iron was Norma. The findings of the MRI were:

Conventional MRI sequences of the small bowel performed.
There is no pathology seen of the small bowel. The small bowel loops are of normal
calibre with normal signal with no evidence of any strictures or inflammation or
Obstruction.
The large bowel shows evidence of faecal loading throughout and up to the rectum
but no mechanical obstruction currently seen on MRI. No perianal disease currently
seen on these large field of view images.
The liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, both adrenals and both kidneys appear
normal. There is no mesenteric abnormality or any free fluid. No abnormal lymph
node enlargement seen within the para-aortic region or the pelvis. The visualised
bones appear within normal limits
CONCLUSION / RECOMMENDATION:
Normal MRI of the small bowel

Satisfied with this I didn't pursue anything. 

Well on Monday I had the worst bowel movement, it was so hard and painful to pass I felt I was going to pass out. After this there was lots of blood, both when wiping and in the toilet. Even when I pushed for a wee after this there would be blood from my bottom. My bowel movements since then have been strange, more frequent and soft - sometimes with blood after wiping and yesterday looked like there were red streaks in my poo. 
 

I'm so angry with myself and feel I could have had cancer for 2 years, I'm so proactive with my health but obviously have not been so with this.

I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist on Monday, so will tell him all this but I'm so anxious. 

  • Hello Kirstync

                            can l ask is the blood fresh and bright red like it has been triggered by the bowel movement,or stale dark red to black as if being leaked constantly between bowel movements.Obviously the latter would be of greater concern since a tumour will eventually bleed incessantly,especially one having been present for any length of  time.Fresh blood triggered at the time of a passage of a stool could indicate colitis,chrohns,polyps,fissure  or restriction

    .l bleed constantly and have done for the past six years,fresh blood that is caused by constant repeated irritation of bowel movements.Having had a bowel resection and a rebuilt pouch there will undoubtably be a residual restriction.l also lost my gallbladder as a result of metastasis to the liver,so l have overloading of bile excretions inflaming my bowel lining at times.l am no expert just one of the guinea pigs,but it seems to me that if you have had a tumour over two years it would have moved progressively worse along with effects that would be difficult to ignore,, and that as good as an MRI scan is,it will not replace a colonoscopy that actually internally inspects the bowel in real time and should be able to pinpoint the inflamed site that is bleeding and work forward from there what is actually causing it.The MRI would show raised lumps such as a tumour,and its reassuring that none were seen,or increased swelling or distortion,but disruption to the bowel lining might be a stretch,hence the advantage of a colonoscopy

    Hopefully you can discuss this option with your expert consultant and progress your treatment, which ihopefully will move forward towards a satisfactory outcome.In the meantime staying calm will help your bowel remain stress free,

                                                     David

  • Hi

    I know this is a worry but please be reassured that if you had a tumour the mri would have found it.

    It all sounded good on the report.

    Maybe after the hard bowel movement on monday you got a tear causing the bleed (fissure) these can bleed for a while until they heal.

    Do you have a good amount of fibre in your diet?

    Don't worry too much, write a list of questions for monday then you don't forget to mention anything.

    There are other things that can cause your symptoms other than cancer and your tests so far seem to have had good news.

    Let us know how you go x

  • Hi David,

    Many thanks for your reply. 
    The blood is fresh, bright red. I will try and push for a colonoscopy, my husbands has colitis so has these regularly - my endocrinologist was looking for this or chrons on the MRI but I do understand that colonoscopy is the only definitive way to detect these or cancer. 
     

    I really appreciate you taking the time to reply, hopefully you are doing well in your journey and I hope you continue to do so. 

  • Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate you taking the time do so. 
     

    I can't shake this worry, and just feel so anxious. My mind is notorious for being 100mph and since my dad passed of cancer (lung) I feel so much worse. Every niggle of pain in that area I contribute to it being cancer. 
     

    I feel so angry that I didn't push for further testing back in 2020. 
     

    Do you know what may happen at my appointment on Monday? 
     

    Thank you again for taking the time to reply.  

  • Sorry to hear about your Dad, once it hapens to someone close I think it is always at the front of our minds when there is a problem.

    If you had had bowel cancer for a coule of years without treatment I think you would certainly know about it now. Also I would imagine you would be very anaemic.

    Try to focus on your mri and the report from that.. found nothing nasty.

    They may book you a colonoscoy appointment to find out the cause of your bleeding but it won't be on the day as you have to take 'clear out' drink beforehand.

    I hope at your appointment they can at least ease your mind a little on the cancer front.

  • Morning everyone,

    I have seen the consultant who was lovely- well he had a good bedside manner whilst doing his checks.

    He had a good feel up there, and then put an instrument up there, he also blew into it? Any ideas what this could have been? He couldn’t see anything other than a small tear.

    He got me to have blood tests whilst there, and wants to do a colonoscopy which should be in about 2 weeks time. I have private health insurance so this is all through that.

    I’m still very anxious as although I know it’s good to get checked, I was kind of hoping he wouldn’t feel the need to. Also I’m due on my period the day he said I might get the colonoscopy done, I have really heavy periods so am wondering if I’ll still be able to have it done?

  • Hi

    All sounding good so far.

    He's making sure he covers everything doing the colonoscopy.

    I had one of mine done during a period I rang to try and cancel but they told me to still go so I used a tampon.

  • Thank you so much for your reply. 
    I will definitely still try to go, unfortunately I can't wear a tampon so will have to try and use a well placed pad. 

  • hello Kirstynic,

                             Yes it certainly helps if you like the person firkling about in your nether regions.It sounds like you had a sigmoidoscopy which looks at the lower bowel and rectum.,whereas the colonoscopy looks at the entire bowel.The small tear close to the exit could well explain the fresh blood ,and the full scope will be able to discount anything else.Looking good so far since with bleeding further up,you would expect to present dark and in amongst stools.Now just relax a little over the next few weeks,

                                       David

                                                                             

  • Thank you so much for your helpful reply David. I will try and not get too anxious in the next few weeks. It seems to come in waves of panic, but I will try and make sure I don't let them get to bad.